Top 30 MLB breakout stars in 2017

Kansas City Royals

2017 MLB Breakout Pick: RF Jorge Soler

The Kansas City Royals know a thing or two about breakout performances. After all, the club’s steady rise from cellar dweller to World Series champion relied heavily on a young and talented core of homegrown players reaching their full potential. But, following a disappointing .500 season, the franchise enters a transition year that could end with another rebuild.

As the team attempts to avoid a losing record and make one more push for the postseason before Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain enter free agency, they will be looking for an outsider to breakout and propel the lineup to new run-scoring heights.

Jorge Soler joined the Royals after an offseason trade with the Chicago Cubs, and is expected to take over the everyday duties in right field this season. Assuming he can shake off the hamstring injuries that hamstrung him thus far in his pro career, Soler could reach his overall big league production to date: a .258/.328/.434 slash with 27 home runs and 98 RBI spread across parts of three seasons.

Last year, Soler hit .238/.333/.436 with a career high 12 home runs and added 31 RBI. He showed improved plate discipline as well, including a 11.7 percent walk rate (compared to 7.9 percent in 2015) and a 25 percent strikeout rate (still too high, but five percentage points lower than he posted in 101 games the previous year).

Soler has scuffled this spring, and his timing has been the biggest issue, according to Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com. But, given a chance to play every day in KC, the 25-year old Soler has a great opportunity to break through and reach the potential the Cubs saw when they gave him $30 million back in 2012.

Another Name to Know: DH/OF/C Peter O’Brien

One More for the Future: 3B Hunter Dozier